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Vitamin Pros :: Beta Glucan :: Beta Glucan Content

Beta Glucan Content - A Review of the Top Beta Glucan Products

The Beta glucan market is full of products of questionable quality. Many people do not understand the importance of identifying what exactly is in a Beta glucan product and what exactly beta glucan is.

The first important thing to realize is that it means nothing when a product claims to be "100% pure Beta glucan." When manufacturers use the term "Beta Glucan" they are in most cases referring to Bakers yeast. The cell walls of Bakers yeast is where you will find Beta glucan. Bakers yeast has never been peer-reviewed for immune support. However, the Beta 1, 3-d glucan that is found in the Beta glucan from bakers yeast has. It has research going back into the 1940's. The 1, 3-D refers to the specific molecular linkage of Beta glucan material. It is this linkage that has produced all the amazing results.

This is where all the confusion comes into effect. Beta glucan versus Beta 1, 3-D glucan. You have to reach down another level before you find the material that has produced all the amazing results.

Bakers yeast > Beta Glucan > Beta 1, 3-d Glucan

Beta 1, 3-D glucan is generally unknown to the majority of public. It is considered by many professionals to be one of the most important immune system support discoveries ever made.

To date, over 1,600 peer-reviewed articles, on practically every know condition, have generated on this amazing substance since the 1940's. These studies have been carried out at some of the most respected universities, government agencies and medical schools known, including Harvard Medical School, Tulane University and the National Cancer Institute. Positive results have also been achieved in the athletic arena as well.

The controversy surrounding Beta glucan products has not subsided. The reason for this controversy is the Beta Glucan versus Beta 1, 3-D glucan content issue. A product can contain all of the Beta glucan possible but it will not produce the results seen in the peer-reviewed medical studies on Beta 1, 3-D glucan that everyone seeks. Individuals who take their heath seriously will discover that many manufactures hide the Beta glucan versus Beta 1, 3-D glucan issue. At times you may come across a product that claims to be 100% pure Beta 1, 3-D glucan however they do not offer any proof that the product they are selling actually produces results. This article will educate you on what to look for in a Beta Glucan product so you can determine for yourself if it is actually a high quality product containing Beta 1, 3-D glucan.

Before you order any Beta glucan product we need to review independent test results that allow us an unbiased view.

Independent test results provide us with an unbiased view of what we are about to order. The first goal is to determine what it is we want to see in a product, obviously for a beta glucan product we want to see how much Beta 1, 3-D glucan content there is. However, this is not the only thing we should be looking for. Peer-reviewed testing has also revealed that the presents of other substances can also have a negative effect on a Beta 1, 3-D glucan product.

beta glucan test resultsHere are all the substances you should be looking for in a beta glucan product[1];

  • Beta 1, 3-D Glucan (good)
  • Fillers (bad), used to "plump up" a capsule, to make it look bigger. No immune support characteristics whatsoever
  • Ash (bad), similar to filler, it serves no purpose whatsoever.
  • Proteins (very bad). All Beta glucan products extracted from bakers yeast will have protein, however it is the amount of protein you have to be wary about. To much of it and you could end up with adverse effects such as a yeast infection.

The more of these other materials that are present, the less effective the product. In some cases the active Beta 1, 3-D glucan content amount was so small it was hard to detect.

These tests were conducted at Johns Hopkins University & R-Tech Laboratories. R-Tech is ISO 17025 and ISO 9002 certified using methods approved by the FDA and the USDA.

To review a more detailed description of these tests at R-Tech click here.

The University of Louisville is on the cutting edge of immune support research and it has released results of studies conducted on the most popular immune support products in America. It tested over forty products for immune response and out of those forty it picked the six top performers for the final round of testing to determine which product was the best. This test not only looked at Beta glucan, it looked at a wide variety of other to materials as well, including vitamin C+E, wolfberry powder, transfer factor, etc... You can review the results for yourself by clicking here.

[1] Specificity of membrane complement receptor type three (CR3) for beta-glucans. Ross GD, Cain JA, Myones BL, Newman SL, Lachmann PJ. Complement. 1987;4(2):61-74. PMID: 3040332. Ross GD, Vetvicka V.Clin Exp Immunol. 1993 May;92(2):181-4. ;Role of complement receptor type three and serum opsonins in the neutrophil response to yeast. Cain JA, Newman SL, Ross GD. Complement. 1987;4(2):75-86. PMID: 3040333; Complement. 1987; Kournikakis B, Mandeville R, Brousseau P, Ostroff G. MedGenMed. 2003 Mar 21;5(1):1. PMID: 12827062; Beneficial effect of enhanced macrophage function in the trauma patient. Browder W, Williams D, Pretus H, Olivero G, Enrichens F, Mao P, Franchello A. Ann Surg. 1990 May;211(5):605-12; discussion 612-3. PMID: 2111126

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